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Over the last few months (ie early to mid 2006) a number of people have emailed us asking
us about Downtube folders, apparently having seen them on the internet/eBay. Until
recently we haven't been able to provide any comments, but we have now had an opportunity
to test the IX FS model.

The Downtube arrived in a sturdy cardboard box measuring. Inside the box the
bike was extremely well packed, with cardboard around almost every individual frame tube.
The bike was folded, with the seat post removed, the handlebar stem removed, and
the handlebar extensions (standard!) turned through 90 degrees. Assembly was
quite simple as it was little more than a standard fold - it took longer to remove all
the packing! The test bike was finished in white, with polished metal components. A small
adjustment to the derailleur cable, and some air in the tyres, was all that was required
before riding. The seat height
is easily adjusted using a quick release; the seat post is not calibrated, so once you
have found the right height, an indelible marker is useful to allow the seat to be
returned to this height after unfolding. The saddle ('Plush') is mounted on a conventional
micro-adjust, making it quite easy to adjust the angle and fore and aft position.
Handlebar height is also adjustable - an
excellent feature, though as the stem is not keyed, you need to make sure that the bars
are correctly aligned after adjustment. The instructions suggest lowering the bars to
their minimum height when folding - I'm not sure this is really necessary, and I had
the bars at their minimum height anyway. An adjustable forward extension is
fitted, so that in addition you can angle it up or down, which means the reach can
be adjusted (excellent, and something which is rare as a standard fitting even on
far more expensive bikes). I found the reach a little long, even with the saddle fully
forward, but it would be easy to replace the stem with a shorter unit.

The frame etc is almost entirely aluminium, and the test bike was finished in
white, which looks very smart, but of course does tend to show dirt etc (the bike is also
available in orange and in black, the latter only for the 9-speed version though). The steerer
and its hinge mechanism are painted silver, and all the other components, apart from
the rear mech and twist grip, are polished. The frame has a sturdy hinge in the cross bar,
with a very positive double locking mechanism (details in the section of folding below).
A similar catch is fitted to the hinge on the forks which allows the steerer/stem/handlebars
to be hinged down.

The suspension results in the cross bar being a bit higher than on some folders -
if you are choosing a small-wheeler because of problems getting on and off a large-wheeled
bike this might be an issue, but it's not going to be important for most people.

The frame looks well-made and strong, and certainly showed very little sign of
any kind of flexing.

Bottle bosses are an unexpected but very welcome feature of the frame; the position,
on top of the rather high cross bar might mean that a bottle cage is a bit in the way
when mounting and dismounting, but even if you decide against mounting a bottle
cage, these mounts are very useful for securing a small pump.

Suspension

This is a full suspension folder, with a 'Zoom' front fork and a mechanical spring rear shock.
The spring in the rear shock is quite stiff, but the preload can be adjusted. I reduced the preload
to a minimum, and the result for me was fairly firm but acceptable stiffness. None of
the other testers, almost all of whom were heavier, including several much heavier ones, passed
any comment on the setting, so it could probably be just a shade less stiff and still satisfy heavier riders.
Personally I found it more acceptable than the very stiff rear spring on my 2005 Dahon Jetstream P8, which
I find unpleasantly stiff, and which has produced a similar reaction from heavier
riders. When stationary and leaning on the front of the bike, the front suspension feels as though it might
be a bit soft, but on the road and moderate off-road tiding it feels just right. All the
other testers seemed happy with it as well. There is no apparent means for adjusting the front suspension.
The front forks have mountings for a disk brake unit.

Now to what I see as the only two weak areas, and they are ones which
are generally a problem with full suspension bikes - mudguards and luggage carrying.
No mudguards are fitted to the bike, and in fact there is almost no means to
add them later. At the rear, there are a couple of potential mounting points
near the dropouts, but no forward mounting point at all. A crud-catcher could be attached to
the seat post, but would be even less effective than on a large-wheeld mountain
bike, as it would be so far from the small wheel, and would interfere with lowering the
seat post when folding. At the front there is no provision at all for a mudguard - I
not sure if some of the units sold for conventional mountain bikes could be adapted in some
way. Riding on a damp road during the test period resulted in a very wet bum, and I would
have to find some form of solution to be able to live with this. However, I suppose
it should be pointed out that a large proportion of 'normal' bikes are no better in this respect. My 2005 Dahon
Jetsteam P8 also lacks mudgaurds, and Dahon did not list any to fit it, thoyugh mounting
points ere provided, and I was able to fit mudguards intended for a Grasshopper
recumbent. Aftrer mudguards, the other criticism is luggage carrying, or lack of it. Again there
is no way to mount a conventional rack, though one of the seat-tube0-mounting units could be
used (again this would obstruct lowering the seat post when folding). The best solution I
would adopt personally would be to use a conventional saddlebag or a
Carradice SQR mount/bag - the latter might also catch some of the muck and water
for which there is no protection at the back from a mudguard. While these do not
hinder the initial lowering of the seatpost when folding, they do tend to limit the extent
to which the post can be lowered, resulting in a more bulky folded package.

As this model is not intended as a tourer, the fact that luggage handling is poor,
and a saddlebag type solution would still limit the amount of luggage may well
not be that important - it is really only the fact that the bike performed so well that it
might easily be considered for more serious long-distance cycling that raises the issue -
which is something of a compliment!

Folding of the Downtube is very straightforward, and very similar to a Dahon. The sequence
is not particularly critical, and you do not need to put the machine in any
particular gear prior to folding. The process is typically: Lower the seat post, fold the pedals,
release the frame hinge-joint and fold the frame, then release the handlebar joint and fold the
bars down. If you have the bars particularly high, you might need to lower them (using
the quick release mechanism) before lowering, but I did not need to do this. The frame and
stem quick releases are very positive and incorporate a safety mechanism. To release these, you first
open a conventional quick-release lever, then pull the release lever to one side, which
releases a sprung pin which fits into a mating hole. Although the folded package is
bigger than a Brompton or Birdy, and a shade larger than some Dahons, the simplicity of
folding is to be welcomed, and in fairness it should be pointed out that the size is
probably larger than some of the other Downtube models due to the suspension.
Unfortunately there is nothing to hold the folded package together, though in practice it
does tend to stay folded reasonably well if you have forgotten to bring a strap to put round it,
as I did on one occasion.

When folded, the bike is fairly heavy to carry, but it is possible to position it
so that you can wheel it along on one of the main wheels when folded - slightly awkward,
but better than carrying it. On top of this, the folding process is sufficiently easy and
quick that it will normally be left until the last minute (assuming there is no need to go
to the extra effort and time of bagging).

As I've made quite a number of references to how the bike performs in the
previous sections, there is not a great deal more to say here. Apart from myself, another 7 or 8 people tried the bike while
we had it on test, as it was taken to the November Origami Ride in Derby, though none of the
other riders went very far on it. General impressions of everyone were the same as mine, and I deliberately
did not talk about my views before people had tried it

Getting on and off this model one is conscious that the 'top tube' is a little higher
than on some folders, due to the suspension design, but unless you have a particular problem in this
respect it is unlikely to be an issue. The frame feels very stiff (ie no undesirable
flexing in the frame or stem area). The ride quality both on road and light off-road is good,
and the suspension is effective for riders of a variety of sizes and weights. The riding
position can be easily adjusted to suit rider size and tast, and it should be possible
for most people to be comfortable on this bike. I was slightly stretched for reach, though
angling the adjustable stem up or down mostly solves this, and the top part of
the stem could quite easily be replaced if necessary to reduce the reach more. The bike was extremely
free-running, especially for such a modestly priced machine.

The gear range is well chosen and the gear change operated smoothly and positively. The brakes
do all that is required of them in an effective and efficient way.

Folding and unfolding is simple and quick, though, partly due to the suspension on
this particular model, it is not particularly small when folded, and is not especially
light either.

The only drawbacks noted with this particular model are the absence of mudguards, and
any easy way to fit them, and lack of luggage mounting. For some these may be
important issues, though partial solutions may be possible, and it is worth restating that
these relate to the fact that this particular model has front and rear suspension, and so
are not relevant to some of the other models in the range.

This Downtube is available at an excellent price in North America, and even with shipping to the
UK (there is no local distributor) the price is attractive. There are cheaper
folders on the market, but many of these really are dreadful, and would give many people
a dislike of folders, and perhaps cycling as a whole. This Downtube feels
a quality machine, and was a pleasure to ride. The choice of components seems
very good - not well-known names, but apparently good performers.

This is no Brompton in terms of size when folded, but the folding process is
easy and quick, and though no lightweight, moving the folded machine is
not too much of a problem as it is possible to use one of the wheels to roll it
around on. Whenn unfolded, the performance is very good indeed for a relatively
cheap folder - or indeed by other higher standards.

When I'm asked to avdvise people on what folder to buy, I always start with
the old adage that it is 'horse for courses (and riders)' - the choice depends on how
you plan to use the folder and your own features and preferences. If the features of
this Downtube fit your requirements profile, I can certainly recommend this
machine on the basis of our test, especially at this price. I have experience of owning two
other full-suspension folders from better-known companies that cost 2-3 times
the price, and this Downtube is better in SOME (but of course not ALL) respects than either.
While it is perhaps not my 'favourite' folder for my particular requirements, I
could certainly live with it very happily as my only folder if the need arose.